WINE-MAKING IN THE WEST. 



315 



spring, when the wine is usually fit for 

 bottling. No sugar or brandy is now added 

 to the best wine. 



When the juice is well strained and 

 cleared from must, there is saccharine mat- 

 ter enough to supply alcohol, say from 7 to 

 11 per cent.; which is equal to the best 

 Rhine wines. The ordinary quality of wines 

 made here, does in no way compare with the 

 good Rhine wines ; though a small quantity 

 made with great care by Dr. Flagg, some 

 years since, was said, by good judges, to be 

 their equal. I drank last year of a bottle 

 of the champaigne made under the direction 

 of Mr. LoNGWOKTH, which seemed equal to 

 what is called " first quality" of champaigne 

 from abroad. He expects this year to make 

 10,000 bottles. 



The price at which the wine is sold, va- 

 ries from one dollar to one dollar and a half 

 the gallon. It is mostly drank here, before 

 being bottled, by our large German popula- 

 tion, who, if not ' natives,' do what can be 

 done with patience and industry to raise and 

 consume the native wine. 



It appears from a Report (made by Dr. 

 Flagg) published in the Cincinnati Horti- 

 cultural Society''s Transactions, that in the 

 year 1S45, (which Avas not a favorable one,) 

 there were made, from 114 acres of vine- 

 yards, 23,219 gallons of wine — about 200 

 gallons to the acre. In successful years, 

 the yield is from 500 to 600 gallons the 

 acre. At the present time, something over 

 300 acres in this county alone, are under 

 cultivation as vinej'ards. So far, vine cul- 

 tivation has surely been a profitable one. 



The following is a table, furnished by 

 Mr. W. Resor, of this place, from memo- 

 randa kept by his father through nine years. 

 The expense of cultivation previous to first 

 crop, also of press and casks, are not added. 



ESTIMATE. 



2300 vines, at cents $133 00 



2300 poles, at 2 cents 40 00 



1000 do. replaced, at 2 cents . 20 00 

 'rrenchinn ground and planting. . SO 00 



Manurini; last fall 30 00 



2 months work each year, 'J years, 225 00 



Extra work in making; wine 150 00 



Interest on investment before crop, 15 00 



S704 00 

 CR. By 4300 gallons wine, at 75 cts. 32:29 50 



$2525 50 



The following answers, by i\Ir. Long- 

 worth, to various queries which I submitted 

 10 him, contain a good deal of valuable 

 practical information, which I submit to 

 your readers. C. W. Elliott. 



Ciiuinnati, Nov. 29, 1S47. 



1 Q. When did you commence your wine 

 vineyards ? 



A. It is twenty-five years since I planted 

 my first vineyard, on Baldface creek, four 

 miles below the city, under the charge of a 

 German of the name of Amen. He had a 

 lease for ten years, and, the tenth year, 

 made, by the sale of his half of the wine, 

 800 dollars. He went on the land without 

 a dollar, and devoted more time to cabbage 

 and sourcrout than his grapes, as they 

 j'ielded an immediate profit which was all 

 his own. The 800 dollars ruined the old 

 man. He moved to the center of the State, 

 bought a farm, and planted a vineyard. His 

 grapes were killed by the frost ; and he 

 returned, about five years since, nearly 

 pennyless, and began a new vineyard on a 

 small piece of land adjoining his old one. 

 It was not till I had fully tested the experi- 

 ment at this vineyard, that I increased my 

 vineyards, and now have between 90 and 

 100 acres in grapes. 



2 Q. With what grapes did you com- 

 mence ? 



A. At the commencement, I planted 

 largely with the " Cape " grape, (Alexan- 

 der's, or Schuylkill Muscatel,) as this was 

 the only grape found to succeed at Vevay. 

 They fermented its juice on the skins, and 

 made from it a rough, hard wine. I pressed 



